Standing Outside the Fire
by melinda08
Summary: When Cheers catches fire, Rebecca comforts Sam. Set in Little Match Girl. Contains spoilers


Sam couldn't believe it. His bar had burned down. His beloved bar- burned. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He'd faced his share of tragedies before. He'd overcome a drinking problem, he'd lost his baseball career, Coach passed away, Diane walked out of his life, he'd lost the bar, but this- this seemed like the final nail in the coffin. How in the world was he supposed to get past this? As he took a look around the ruins that was his livelihood he couldn't help but think that this was his fault somehow. Maybe he was cursed. Maybe he wasn't supposed to have good things in his life. This wasn't just a bar. This was his life, his friends, his support system. This was the love of his life.

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next. His friends were there to help him, none more so than Carla. She was the first one there, and the first one to pick up a broom. When he found out that the insurance wouldn't cover the damage he was at a loss for words. Where was Frasier when he signed the policy? How could he let himself be taken in by the good looking blonde agent? That was the story of his life- always a sucker for a pretty face. And now his very weakness for a beauty had cost him the thing he loved the most. He wasn't sure what he would do next.

As he sat at the end of the bar that wasn't destroyed, he hung his head down. Sam wasn't sure why things like this always happened to him. He liked to think that he was a man in charge of his own fate, but maybe he was cursed. So many bad things happened to him. What if he never bounced back from this? What if he couldn't get his bar back? The damage to Cheers was overwhelming. He wasn't an emotional man, but the sight of his bar brought a tear to his eye. Working hard to reclaim the bar had taken everything he had, and to lose it now would be a terrible blow to his ego. It was a good thing he wasn't a drinking man anymore. Maybe this might just push him over the edge. If he lost Cheers there was no telling what he might do.

When Rebecca told him that faulty wiring was the cause of the fire, he hated himself. Sam had always meant to get them looked at but he had just never got around to it. Ownership of his bar was something he had always taken a great deal of pride in, and to let it go was just inexcusable. It was official- the fire was his fault. So many people depended on him for the source of their place of enjoyment, their second home, and he had let them down. How could he look them in the eye, or look himself in the mirror?

Everyone knew how much Cheers meant to Sam and tried their best to help out. Norm was devastated, and although he was tempted to turn to Gary's Old Towne Tavern, ultimately he couldn't betray his second home. Woody could never understand why things like this happened. Cliff was loyal to a fault and was too happy to pitch in. Frasier made the gesture of writing a check, even though he and Sam both knew that Lilith would never go along with it. Carla worked harder than anyone to get the bar back in order. Only Rebecca acted squirrely, although Sam was much too distracted to notice. She was always an odd one, and her neuroses always came out in times of stress.

Finally she came to him in a moment of weakness. Barely breathing, she couldn't look Sam in the eye. The unthinkable confession came out- she did this. She burned down the bar. She had left a burning cigarette in the trash can in Sam's office.

Sam couldn't process this. How dare she do this to him? Of all the careless, worthless things she had done in her life, she had to ruin his as well. He had no choice. He ordered her out of the bar. He never wanted to see her as long as he lived.

Everyone, even Carla, thought that he was being too harsh on Rebecca, though they dare not speak it out loud. This was no time to argue with Sam. His very livelihood was on the line, and they knew he had to have someone to blame.

When Rebecca returned to offer her life savings, Sam didn't know what to say. All he could think about was what she had done to his bar. But then he remembered what she had done for him when he was at her lowest- she had given him his job back. She had quite possibly saved his life. So he knew what he had to do. He offered her his job back, and they decided to go out for pizza. At the parlor, Sam sighed in frustration.

"What's wrong Sam?" Rebecca asked.

"My bar's burned down, I've sold my Corvette, I'm leaving my apartment, and you ask me what's wrong?" Sam replied sarcastically.

"I was just hoping that maybe… after our talk that you might feel a little better."

"I don't know when I'll feel better. I'll tell you when. When my bar is up and running again. I never thought this would happen to me. I have seen a lot of things but to see this happen to something I love, well that's just a tragedy, that's what it is."

"Sam, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I know this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me," Rebecca looked him in the eyes.

The thing was, Sam believed her. She may have a cold outer shell but he knew she never meant to hurt anyone, not intentionally. "Tell me Rebecca, have you ever gone through a time where you've lost everything?"

"I have lost my dreams. I've always thought I'd be on the board of directors somewhere, married to a millionare. I had my chance. And I blew it. Here I am working at a bar. And I almost blew that too. And you know what? It's not as bad as I thought it would be," she smiled.

"Well, I've lost everything. And it sucks. I just don't know if I have it in me to do it again. I can't keep losing everything that ever matters to me. I have always told myself that as long as I have the bar I can get though anything. And now I might not have that."

"Sam, so you'll have to make a few sacrifices. You had to sell the 'vette. You have to downsize for awhile. But you'll be back on top again. I know you. You don't stop until you get what you want. You wanted me for the longest time. It took you years but you got me, right?"

Sam smiled. "Yeah, I did. But that's not the same thing as my bar burning down."

"Well you lost Cheers once before. And everyone- namely I did—told you that you'd never get it back. But you did. You are the owner again. And you'll find away to get it up and running again before you know it. Sam Malone is a strong man. What he wants he always gets. You'll find a way. I believe in you."

"You do?"

Rebecca nodded.

"Let me ask you a question."

"You want to go to bed with me?" Rebecca smiled.

"Yes but that's not what I had in mind. Why do you think we haven't gotten together? I think we'd make a lot of sense. You one time told me I'm your best friend," Sam asked.

"I knew that would come back to haunt me."

"I'm serious. See this is why I don't try to have meaningful conversations!" Sam stood up.

Rebecca grabbed his hand. "No, sit down please. I've thought about it."

"You have?"

"Yes. I think we're both alike. I think we both value the same things. We're both interested in what benefits us. We're interested in our careers. We're passionate people- some more so than others," she laughed.

"Then why don't we give us a shot?" Sam asked.

"I think that eventually our similarities would come between us. Our self-serving personalities would drive each other crazy. My ambition I don't think you would ever understand. I don't think you're truly capable of settling down- and to be honest neither am I. I do love you though Sam. And if you ever repeat that I'll rip your eyebrows out one by one."

Sam thought about what she had to say. "Maybe you're right. We might be better off as friends- good friends."

"Good friends," Rebecca agreed.

"Friends with benefits?"

"Don't push your luck buster."

And so Sam and Rebecca agreed that nothing could ever happen between them. Sam did get his bar back, better than ever. His friends supported him, and he didn't take a drink. He learned a lot about friendship, and himself, and found that he had what it took to make it through the fire after all.


End file.
